50th Anniversary of the Covenants: Civil Society Perspectives on Impact and Contemporary Challenges

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Global
Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Centre for Civil and Political Rights
cordially invite you to a side event in the context of the 31st session of the Human Rights Council.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS
COVENANTS: A CIVIL SOCIETY PERSPECTIVE ON IMPACT
AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
TUESDAY 1 MARCH, 12.00 – 2.00 PM; ROOM XXIII, PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA

50 years ago the General Assembly adopted the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR) as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the two Covenants are the main
pillar of the international human rights system and set out the civil, political, cultural, economic, and
social rights that are inherent to all human beings.

Today, these rights remain as relevant as they were 50 years ago. But what impact have the
Covenants had on the situation of rights holders and what impact do recommendations from the
relevant UN Committees have ‘on the ground’? This side event strives to explore these questions
and further identify current challenges for the Covenants’ implementation from a broad variety of
perspectives: Committee members, civil society and National Human Rights Institutions. Against the
backdrop of the universality and indivisibility of all human rights, this interactive discussion will
further emphasize the interdependence of the two Covenants. Discussants will outline their
experiences of working with the Covenants and share reflections on impact and challenges.

LEADING THE DEBATE

KATE GILMORE, DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

DISCUSSANTS
❖ HASSAN SHIRE, EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS NETWORK

❖ AGNES KABAJUNI, CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS, KAMPALA

❖ VICTOR RODRIGUEZ RESCIA, CURRENT MEMBER OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

❖ VIRGINIA BRAS GOMEZ, CURRENT MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL
AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

􀁈 Sandwiches and light refreshments will be served prior to the event 􀁉

NB: valid UN accreditation for the HRC session is needed to attend the event. Please notify the organizers at least 3 working days before the event should you need accreditation to access the Palais des Nations via [email protected]